Fund Evaluator:
AB Small Cap Growth Advisor (QUAYX)
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Best Performing in Small Growth Over the Last Year
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| 34.5% | Royce Smaller-Companies Growth Invmt (RVPHX) |
Fund Details
AB Small Cap Growth Advisor Overview
AB Small Cap Growth Advisor (QUAYX) is an actively managed U.S. Equity Small Growth fund. AllianceBernstein launched the fund in 1996.
The investment seeks long-term growth of capital. The fund invests primarily in a diversified portfolio of equities with relatively smaller capitalizations as compared to the overall U.S. market. It invests at least 80% of its net assets in equities of smaller companies. For these purposes, "smaller companies" are those that, at the time of investment, fall within the lowest 20% of the total U.S. equity market capitalization (excluding, for purposes of this calculation, companies with market capitalizations of less than $10 million). The fund may invest in any company and industry and in any type of equity security with potential for capital appreciation.
About AB Small Cap Growth Advisor (QUAYX)
There are 4 members of the management team with an average tenure of 13.95 years: Samantha Lau (2004), Wen-Tse Tseng (2006), Heather Pavlak (2019), Esteban Gomez (2019). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.
The fund has 2 primary benchmarks: S&P 500 (TR) (1970) index with a weighting of 100% and Russell 2000 Growth TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. AB Small Cap Growth Advisor has 117 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 16.4% of the fund’s assets. The fund meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a diversified fund. The fund is not considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.
AB Small Cap Growth Advisor is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the U.S. Equity fund group. AB Small Cap Growth Advisor has 3.0% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 96.6%. There is 3.0% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.0% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 0.0% (0.0% domestic bond, 0.0% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). AB Small Cap Growth Advisor has 0.5% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $1 billion in total assets, which is above the $424 million average for the Small Growth category. Normally, lower assets under management translates to higher average expense ratios, and greater total assets are desired. However, for some investment categories, such as small-cap investing, it may be difficult for the manager to fully employ the desired active strategy if assets grow too large or too quickly.
QUAYX Performance and Fees
The expense ratio measures how much of a fund’s assets are used for administrative expenses and operating expenses, including adviser fees and fees for the transfer agent and custodial services. The AB Small Cap Growth Advisor expense ratio is high compared to funds in the Small Growth category. AB Small Cap Growth Advisor has an expense ratio of 0.87%, which is 26% lower than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a A. While it is difficult to predict returns, it is known that high annual expense ratios reduce your rate of return, and excessive fees are difficult to overcome. Active management normally comes with higher expense ratios than passive index management. Certain investment categories such as small company and foreign also normally have higher expense ratios. It is best to compare fund expense ratios against the category averages for meaningful assessments.
High portfolio turnover can translate to higher expenses and lower aftertax returns. AB Small Cap Growth Advisor has a portfolio turnover rate of 72%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 78% for the Small Growth category.
Recently, in the month of August 2026, AB Small Cap Growth Advisor returned 0.5%, which earned it a grade of C, as the Small Growth category had an average return of 0.8%. The letter grades of A, B, C, D and F are based upon relative rankings within the investment category. A grade of A, for example, would indicate that the return is in the highest 20% for that time period compared to all funds in that category.
AB Small Cap Growth Advisor has a trailing yield of 0.00%, which is below the 0.05% category average. The fund normally distributes its income annually and its capital gains annually.
It’s natural to seek the best-performing investments, but you must consider the relationship between risk and return and the impact of costs and taxes on your realized returns.
AB Small Cap Growth Advisor Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned 14.4%, 0.0 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of C. The fund has returned 18.7% over the past year (grade of C), 13.5% over the past three years (grade of C) and 0.4% per year over the past five years (grade of D) and 12.7% per year over the past 10 years (grade of B).
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QUAYX Trailing NAV Total Returns Data as of 8/31/26
| Last Month |
Last Quarter |
Ann'l. 1Yr |
Ann'l. 3Yr |
Ann'l. 5Yr |
Ann'l. 10Yr |
|
| QUAYX Return (NAV) | 0.5% | -4.2% | 18.7% | 13.5% | 0.4% | 12.7% |
| QUAYX Grade | C | F | C | C | D | B |
| +/- Category | -0.2% | -4.3% | 0.2% | -0.5% | -2.6% | 1.5% |
| Small Growth Avg | 0.8% | 0.1% | 18.5% | 14.0% | 3.0% | 11.1% |
| QUAYX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.4% | 1.2% |
QUAYX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 8/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| QUAYX Return (NAV) | 14.4% | 5.1% | 18.8% | 18.1% | -38.9% | 9.6% | 54.0% | 36.1% | -0.7% | 34.9% | 6.7% |
| QUAYX Grade | C | D | B | B | F | C | B | A | B | A | D |
| +/- Category | 0.0% | -2.9% | 3.3% | 1.4% | -11.0% | -0.9% | 12.2% | 6.2% | 3.5% | 10.9% | -3.6% |
| Small Growth Avg | 14.4% | 8.0% | 15.5% | 16.7% | -27.9% | 10.5% | 41.8% | 29.9% | -4.1% | 24.1% | 10.2% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Standard Deviation: | 22.6% |
| Total Risk Index: | 1.86 - High |
| Category Risk Index: | 1.11 - High |
| Category Risk Grade: | F (84% Rank) |
| Beta: | 1.52 |
| R-Squared: | 75% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | Small-Cap Growth |
| Bond Investment Style: | na |
| Yield: | 0.0% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Annually |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | Annually |
| Total Assets: | $2757 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $1,177 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | Adv |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 72% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 4 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 21.7 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 13.9 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Lau Samantha (2004), Tseng Wen-Tse (2006), Pavlak Heather (2019), Gomez Esteban (2019) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 7/31/26)
| # of Holdings: | 117 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 16.4% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 3.0% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 96.6% |
| Foreign Stock: | 3.0% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 0.5% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | AllianceBernstein |
| Phone Number: | 800-227-4618 |
| Website: | www.abglobal.com |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | October 1, 1996 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $ 0 |
| Min. Initial IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
| True No-Load: | Yes |
| Front Load Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Deferred Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Redemption Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| 12b-1 Fee: | na |
Expenses and Fees | |
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.87% ( Rating : High ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 1.17% |
| Share Class: | AB Small Cap Growth A |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 0 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
